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Owned by women

Introduction
Books by women
Suffragette literature
Books compiled by women
Books translated by women
Books for women
Books about women
Biographies of women
On women's education
Owned by women
Illustrated by women
Published by women
 

Aquino, Carolo d' Sacra exequialia in funere Jacobi II. Magnae Britanniae Regis exhibita ab ... Principe Carolo ... Cardinali Barberino in Templo sui tituli Sancti Laurentii in Lucina, descripta a Carolo de Aquino ... Romae : Typis Barberinis, excudebat Dominicus Antonius Hercules, 1702 Sp Coll S.M. 1571 

The title page of this volume bears the holograph initials of Princess Elizabeth (1770-1840), Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg, daughter of George III, King of Great Britain. One of fifteen children of the infamous George III, Princess Elizabeth lead a sheltered childhood, as did her sisters, with almost every hour of their time planned out. Suitable activities for the girls including reading and visits from poets. Any fiction read by the princesses was first approved by their mother, and visits to the theatre occasionally involved especially censored or adapted plays. Princess Elizabeth did pursue a number of hobbies and activities including writing verse, painting watercolours and engraving. Elizabeth's artistic work was quite credible, and she provided illustration for a volume entitled "The birth and triumph of cupid". Princess Elizabeth also collected a good library, which this volume was presumably part of. The library was sold at Sotheby's. 



Signature of Princess Elizabeth in Sacra exequialia ...

The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments... Edinburgh : Printed by Alexander Kincaid, 1772 Sp Coll BDA1-a.2 

This Bible is a presentation copy from the printer, Alexander Kincaid, to Lady Janet Dundas, and is inscribed "To Lady Janet Dundas from her most obedient servant Alexander Kincaid" Lady Janet Dundas (1722-1805) was the youngest daughter of Charles, 6th Earle of Lauderdale. In 1774 she married Thomas Dundas of Fingask, M.P. for Orkney and Shetland. 


The library of Eshton Hall from A catalogue of the library collected by Miss Richardson Currer, at Eshton Hall

Currer, Frances Mary Richardson, A catalogue of the library collected by Miss Richardson Currer, at Eshton Hall, Craven, Yorkshire London, 1833 Sp Coll BD17-c.12 

Frances Currer (175-1861) was England's earliest female bibliophile and was described by Dibdin as the "head of all female book collectors in Europe.". Currer inherited the library of her great grandfather, Richard Richardson (1663-1741), botanist and antiquary, and with the additions made to this Currer built up a sizeable collections of 15,000 volumes. The catalogue is arranged in a number of classes, including religion , arts, literature and history. The volume includes engravings of the drawing room and library of Eshton Hall, which is shown above.

Desmarets, Jean, sieur de Saint Sorlin Les delices de l'esprit. Dialogues dediez aux beaux esprits du monde. Par I. Desmarets ... Paris : Chez Florentin Lambert, 1659 Sp Coll S.M. 1620 

The signature of Caroline Norton (1808-1877) is on the title page of this volume, with a poem in her hand, dedicated to Blanche Countess of Airlie, written on the fly-leaf. Norton was a prominent and important figure during the Victorian era, campaigning on issues of child custody (as during this period in divorce, the children would be placed in the custody of the father) and divorce laws. Norton was a prolific campaigner and was the author of several pamphlets including Letter To The Queen On Lord Chancellor Cranworth's Marriage And Divorce Bill . During her violent and unhappy marriage to George Norton, Caroline Norton found solace in writing and several of her verses were published including The sorrows of Rosalie.  Norton died in 1877 shortly after her mariage to long term companion William Stirling Maxwell. 


Inscription from Jane Carlyle on frontispiece of Imagines Mortis

Holbein, Hans Imagines mortis. His accesserunt epigrammata, e Gallico idiomate à Georgio Aemylio in Latinum translata. Ad haec, Medicina animae, tam iis, qui firma, quàm qui adversa corporis valetudine praediti sunt, maximè necessaria Coloniae : Apud haeredes Arnoldi Birckmanni, 1573  Sp Coll Gemmell 3 

Inscribed "To T. Woolner with Jane Carlyle's affectionate regards 5 Cheyne Row Chelsea 16th July 1855.", as shown on the left. The Dance of Death was first printed in 1538, twelve years after its completion by Hans Holbein (1497-1543) in Basel, which at the time was a great European centre of printing and graphic works. The background to why Holbein decided to produce this work is unclear, as Holbein had previously only worked on commissions. However, Holbein owed a great deal of his fame to this volume, which he completed with the assistance of Luzelburger. The work is widely held as a monumental achievement in the field of wood engraving. The origins of the Dance of Death are firmly entrenched in mural paintings, with the first recorded painting being in Paris in  1424-1425. This series of allegorical figures spread throughout Europe, including Scotland, eventually making its way into print with Holbein's 1538 publication.